"Take it easy!"….yeah, right!

Have you ever made a "promise" to take it easy, with the really good intention to do just that, AND to end up in admitting that you did not?

The hindsight-effect is interesting. If we know BEFORE what the result will be, then we would most often act differently. 



But that is not the whole truth!

It is not only a simple decision on YES/NO on activities it is actually more complex than that!

The interpretation ("the semantic value") is always directly dependent on the context.
And it is also a subjective idea of adjusting the target values of a set of quaity requirements as well as accepting a set of constraints!

Let me give you an example. 

A monoskier has just recently operated both hips and is now refering to himself as "the Titanium man".
When going to a Monoski-meeting for a first contact with snow for almost 2 years, he promises his wife to "take it easy".

The "easy" is of course in relation to the baseline he affectuated before the operations, right! (?)
It means that a parameter like "speed" should be LOWER than the aforementioned baseline value
(e.g. 40km/h instead of 80 km/h on average).

But here he should have stoped and asked himself: 

"are there any OTHER parameters than speed that could or should be included  in the take-it-easy manipulation of values?

Are there relations between objects in the context that do not go well with "take it easy" ?

Can you "take it easy" in a black pist with a lot of moguls or in deep powder?
What happens if we reduce the speed in a steep slope and how does the effectuation of the "reduce the speed"-action effect the very thing that he wants to protect i.e. the hips?

The paradox that he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN by heart, is that If you are not riding on the edges on a monoski, you are NOT following the natural curve and speed of the ski. This means that it will cause MORE vibrations and hard work on the joints and muscles than if you "follow the ski"
… so the reduction of speed to enhance "take it easy" actually makes it worse than riding faster in a more natural speed !

Think about it…whit did he do wrong?


THINK!



The "take it easy" should not only change the speed parameter but also WHERE he should ski …if he stayed in less steep environments he could follow the natural flow of the ski without having to brake and reduce the speed at all!

So which lesson did I learn from this? (yes, it was me I was talking about all along)

When agreeing to a concept, be sure to analyze what that specific concept REALLY means!
Both the definition, all parameters involved (the quality attributes) as well as some of the constraints (e.g. "you can NOT ride in moguls if you have agreed to take it easy!")

The effect on my body was that the hips felt great, but the knees got sore and I had to end my skitrip after just 2 days

 …AND also suffer the comment from my wife: 

"why did you not listen to me! Why did you not take it easy!"